WOMEN’S clothing chain Sportsgirl has backed down in the face of a fierce social media campaign against its use of Angora fur.

In the past two days Sportsgirl has been bombarded with complaints and hate over its use of Angora fur, which is sourced from Angora rabbits. The lion’s share of the fur is produced in China, which according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has questionable animal laws.

“Stop using fur, whilst you still have some chance at salvaging your reputation.”

Caitlin Telfer went as far as to say that she would never shop at Sportsgirl again and she isn’t the only one, who has sworn off the popular women’s clothing store.

“How embarrassing that such a well-known and popular brand like Sportsgirl are using fur from abused animals on their clothing. I will no longer be shopping here and will make sure none of my friends do either,” Telfer said.

PETA campaign co-ordinator Claire Fryer said in China there were no penalties for the abuse of animals on farms and no standards to regulate the treatment of the animals.

“A PETA Asia investigator who visited several angora farms in China — the world’s top producer of angora fur — documented workers violently ripping the fur from the animals’ sensitive skin as they scream in pain,” Ms Fryer said.

“One farmer admitted that about 60 per cent of rabbits who are plucked die within one to two years.”

The shearing of the rabbits, according to PETA, is a highly stressful experience.

“It’s a terrifying experience, especially for a prey animal, and the sharp cutting tools inevitably wound them as they struggle desperately to escape,” Ms Fryer said.

PETA said consumers are becoming more aware of the ethical issues involved in using animals for clothing.

“The public are rightly upset that Sportsgirl have failed to follow the lead of virtually every other major retailer in Australia, including David Jones, Myer, Fast Future Brands, Pacific Brands and many more, in pledging against angora,” Ms Fryer said.

Sportsgirl have been bombarded with complaints about the use of Angora fur. Image: FileSource:News Limited

PETA have said they wrote to the Sussan Group — of which Sportsgirl is a part — about angora and made them aware of the horrific practices these rabbits endure.

“Following complaints from concerned members of the public, we have written to them again to explain that adopting sourcing policies — in the false hope of ensuring that rabbits are being treated ‘humanely’ — is a not a solution.

“The reality is that suppliers may intentionally mislead their customers.

“There is simply no such thing as humanely produced angora from China.”

In a statement Sportsgirl said, “We’re strongly against animal cruelty, and we take active steps to address this concern.”

“We do this by applying rigid ethical policies and have in place firm and longstanding procedures to do all we can to make sure our products and materials are ethically sourced.

“We would not under any circumstances do business with factories involved in animal cruelty.

“That’s not in line with our values and our policies, and we are a signatory to a number of ethical agreements.”

Sportsgirl also said they conduct physical audits of the whole product supply chain, which gives them a greater visibility on how the materials are sourced, which included “a visit to the Angora rabbit breeding farmer”.

“This helps us understand how the rabbits are cared for and how the hair is harvested,” the statement said.

“The rabbits are sheared with a small shearer like you would use cutting human hair, sourced from China and our code of conduct requires review of processes to ensure all animals are humanely treated.”

News.com.au's Privacy Policy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted content and advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.